Regional Briefs 11/23/2013

DIMOCK TWP. - The Elk Lake School Board has selected a superintendent to replace William Bush, board President Anne Teel announced Thursday night.

Ken Cuomo, who served as high school principal for 21 years, and is now the elementary school principal, will be taking over as superintendent at the start of the 2014-15 school year.

Mr. Bush tendered his resignation in July, effective June 30, 2014.

In other business, Arden Tewksbury was honored as the longest-serving school director in the state by Pennsylvania School Boards Association Vice President Larry Breech.

W. Pittston pursues historic register

WEST PITTSTON - West Pittston Tomorrow will look into what is needed for part of the borough to be included in the National Register of Historic Places, the group's president, Judy Aita, said Friday.

Ms. Aita said her group has talked to members of the West Pittston Historical Society about the possibility of working together to seek inclusion.

Representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission made a presentation Nov. 14 about the potential for a section of West Pittston to be included in the national register.

Arena board mired in controversy

WILKES-BARRE TWP. - Normally a quiet body, members of the volunteer board that oversees the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza have been exchanging accusations in the last week over free lunches and other special treatment.

After Alex Milanes, the newest member of the Luzerne County Convention Center Authority, publicly accused the board of county ethics violations for having a free lunch at its meeting this month, authority Chairwoman Donna Cupinski fired back in an email Friday to Mr. Milanes and the county council that he had attempted to get "special treatment" in securing tickets for the sold-out Luke Bryan concert in February.

Reached by phone Friday, the chairwoman refused to address specific details of any of the accusations.

Man charged with injuring infant

HANOVER TWP. - The Jenkins Twp. man accused earlier this week in a domestic assault that spurred a report of an active shooter and a school lockdown was hit with new charges Friday alleging he cracked a 1-month-old baby's skull during the scuffle.

Eric Phillips, 32, of 214 Willow Road, is facing charges of aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of children and reckless endangerment in connection with the Monday assault. The charges are in addition to counts of aggravated assault, simple assault and making terroristic threats filed earlier in the week.

Mr. Phillips' girlfriend, Brooke Ciprich, of 214 Willow Road, Jenkins Twp., said Mr. Phillips pushed her several times, the last of which caused her to drop the baby head-first onto a hardwood floor, police said.

Mr. Phillips was sent to Luzerne County jail Friday in lieu of $300,000 bail. A preliminary hearing was set for 1 p.m. Dec. 4.

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